[jetti]

Congratulations Madhu! The Abarth is looking great in black - it looks like a black panther about to pounce

You can start your thread in the Assembly Line thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/assembly-line/
It is located as a sub-forum of Shifting Gears.

Originally Posted by madhurules

sure. will send in a detailed review...... can someone let me know in which forum i should post the review - should i start a new thread or reply to the current thread? am not very active on team-bhp and hence these queries! Thanks

[GT145]

Originally Posted by madhurules

Excited - became the owner of Chennai's first Abarth - took delivery a few days back.
Will send in a detailed review shortly - but the 2-3 days driving experience cane be summed up in one word - PHENOMENAL. Lives upto every expectation that we may have.
Detailed review very soon.....

Madhu

Congrats Madhu. After the launch it took exact one month to see a Bhpian own the Scorpion. Waiting for the detailed review

[madhurules]

Thanks Jetti. Will start the review now.. assuming that someone has to approve it before its gets moved to the right forum..

Originally Posted by jetti

Congratulations Madhu! The Abarth is looking great in black - it looks like a black panther about to pounce

You can start your thread in the Assembly Line thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/assembly-line/
It is located as a sub-forum of Shifting Gears.

[nitro.1000bhp]

I am interested in the Aventura Abarth. Does anyone know what the wet weights of the Aventura is against Ab punto and Polo tsi?

Do you guys think the 0-100 times will drop to sub-9 for the Aventura with better tyres?

[HydroFuel]

Originally Posted by nitro.1000bhp

I am interested in the Aventura Abarth.

Do you guys think the 0-100 times will drop to sub-9 for the Aventura with better tyres?

You may like to wait for some time. Probably in July 2016 VW is launching Polo GTI with 1.8 TSI with 180 bhp clocking sub-7 directly competing with Abarth. And given their negative publicity they may price below 10 lac.

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by HydroFuel

You may like to wait for some time. Probably in July 2016 VW is launching Polo GTI with 1.8 TSI with 180 bhp clocking sub-7 directly competing with Abarth. And given their negative publicity they may price below 10 lac.

I am mainly interested in the Avventura Abarth because of the engine and GC. The Polo might be a little too low for my usage. Besides a mate's Polo is'nt aging too well. I think an expensive Fiat is a better bet than a cheap VW (No offence)

[Samba]

Took a test drive of the Abarth Punto today.

There is nothing new to write on its performance. I took my Etios petrol to draw a small comparison between the two. I and Mr Rana Adhikary took the test drive. He owns a Punto MJD.

At first Rana da took the driving seat. It was a open private road not used for public use. On the open stretch he floored the pedal and the Abarth just took off. I accelerated hard behind him and was able to keep the Punto in a range of 2-3 cars ahead. Abarth is fast.

While coming back i took the pilot seat of the Abarth. My take on it-

Excellent acceleration.
Engine is smooth and silent. NVH level is really good.
Phenomenal handling.
The brakes are excellent.
The gear shift and clutch pedal throw is a bit long.
The ride quality is really good.

The above points have been shared by others many times. So i never had a doubt on the capability of this car. Now the doubt i had was- How much practical is this car with a ground clearance of 155mm on Indian roads?

For that we did a thorough testing-
1) From the side view the Abarth Punto looks to have more ground clearance than my Etios which is having 176mm after putting over sized tyres.


2) A pic from below the front bumper shows the underbelly space of the car. Just behind this car is my Etios. Even from this angle it looks higher than the Etios!


3) We kept a 600ml Sprite bottle to get the comparison of the height of the front bumper of both the cars. Even here the Abarth looks to be a tad higher!


4)The same bottle was kept beside the left side running panel. Even here we found the same result!


So from the pics its evident that the ride height of the car is quite high. Its just 155mm in the paper just like the new scorpio is rated at 165mm ground clearance.

At last it was time for a practical test. We took the car to a really big road hump where the earlier pre 2012 Punto gets scrapped and even my Etios gets scrapped if not driven carefully, this car crossed it with out scrapping with 3 persons on board!

Now the Abarth Punto has got a shorter wheelbase and a stiffer suspension than my Etios. So with all these i can assure that this car can do any roads which other hatchbacks and sedans can do. It do not require any special attention for the 155mm ground clearance. Am sure even if this car is taken to Ladakh circuit, this car will perform just like other hatch backs will do!

At the end i am impressed by the over all behavior of this car. Way to go Fiat. You again won the heart back of a Fiat fan boy!

To be very honest i will prefer the Abarth Punto Evo over the Abarth Punto Avventura.

[asr245]

Most love this car but has anyone actually bought it? I am yet to see owner's review of this car.

[firstguri]

Originally Posted by asr245

Most love this car but has anyone actually bought it? I am yet to see owner's review of this car.

I think mine was the second on the forum. I've driven her for 6000 kms as yet. I'm just about to start an ownership thread.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by asr245

Most love this car but has anyone actually bought it?

Hey asr245, not just 'Any', but almost 'Many' have bought it buddy

Link 1

Link 2

Probably, the other owners are either unable to get over the 'Jet' like propulsion or way too busy smoking other cars in India to write an ownership report

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey asr245, not just 'Any', but almost 'Many' have bought it buddy

Link 1

Link 2

Probably, the other owners are either unable to get over the 'Jet' like propulsion or way too busy smoking other cars in India to write an ownership report

If only Fiat managed to produce more Punto Evo Abarths during November and December, a few more cars would have been on road. Thanks to their lousy decisions, a few cancellations have happened. Fiat is no Maruti or Hyundai to command 2 month waiting period.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Fiat is no Maruti or Hyundai to command 2 month waiting period.

Seriously nkrishnap?? 2 months for an Abarth Punto delivery?

I was told by SE at FIAT Cafe (Domlur), that the waiting period is under 3 weeks for sure, irrespective of the color. Also, FIAT were planning to introduce the 'Matte Grey' version sometime during the festive season.

I had not driven the Abarth Punto, though had accompanied my cousin during his TD. So I did try this Scorpion last Saturday and came off a bit disappointed.

I don't want to get into the usual shortcomings and areas of improvements but I personally felt that 90HP Punto MJD is a better buy

Why:

- You pay ~2 lakhs only for that Engine & All round Disc Brakes !! I am not saying its not worth it, I feel probably its overpriced. In fact, I felt a better surge from the Linea Tjet when the Turbo spools than this Abarth (could be an issue with the TD Car?)

- MJD is a proven engine and its FE can 'Sting' any Abarth fatally.

- I felt the turbo lag on these 2 engines were almost similar and daily use is more rewarding in a MJD (FE).

- Remap the MJD, lower the springs and swap some good set of tires. You have best of both worlds, FE & Performance.

- Its really weird and probably was only pertaining to the test car, but the fit and finish on the Abarth was nothing better than the 2012 90HP Punto owned by my friend.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Seriously nkrishnap?? 2 months for an Abarth Punto delivery?

I was told by SE at FIAT Cafe (Domlur), that the waiting period is under 3 weeks for sure, irrespective of the color. Also, FIAT were planning to introduce the 'Matte Grey' version sometime during the festive season.

I had not driven the Abarth Punto, though had accompanied my cousin during his TD. So I did try this Scorpion last Saturday and came off a bit disappointed.

I don't want to get into the usual shortcomings and areas of improvements but I personally felt that 90HP Punto MJD is a better buy

Why:

- You pay ~2 lakhs only for that Engine & All round Disc Brakes !! I am not saying its not worth it, I feel probably its overpriced. In fact, I felt a better surge from the Linea Tjet when the Turbo spools than this Abarth (could be an issue with the TD Car?)

- MJD is a proven engine and its FE can 'Sting' any Abarth fatally.

- I felt the turbo lag on these 2 engines were almost similar and daily use is more rewarding in a MJD (FE).

- Remap the MJD, lower the springs and swap some good set of tires. You have best of both worlds, FE & Performance.

- Its really weird and probably was only pertaining to the test car, but the fit and finish on the Abarth was nothing better than the 2012 90HP Punto owned by my friend.

I was talking about the lost opportunity during November and December due to the limited numbers they had produced. 2016 production one you should get it in 3 weeks time (only 2 colors available).

I am a bit surprised that you felt 90 HP better than the 145 bhp one? Even with the monetary comparison I certainly feel the 145 HP one worth it. The 145 hp shines in the way the torque is delivered and the power at higher rpm compared to the one on the Linea which feels flat after 5000 rpm and not the case with the 145 HP one. The low end is slightly lower than the regular Tjet, apart from that the 145 HP outshines the regular one in every way.

On the diesel thing, personally I would disagree, a fast revving turbo petrol will outshine the a regular turbo diesel in all possible ways. The amount of fun on Turbo petrol is way different. But money matters will make the head take over the heart and make decisions

PS: Cost of the few stuff you mentioned under mods.
1. Remap - 25k
2. Lower Springs - For example B6 costs around 90k
3. Better tyres - 30-40k depending on the size (15 or 16 inchers)
4. Converting rear drum to disc can turn out to be costly.

So you are getting these from the factory except for the tyres and the additional taxes make the 2 lakh difference worth it.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

I felt the turbo lag on these 2 engines were almost similar and daily use is more rewarding in a MJD.

We can never get past the need for FE, can we. Anyway; I've driven the Mjd extensively and my daily drive is a T Jet. I have not driven the Abarth. If the Linea T Jet is any indication of what the engine is capable of with 112 horses, I can't imagine what 145 would feel like, that too on a lighter car. I have not forgotten your comment that the Linea did feel more alive. Maybe it is. However; comparing the Mjd to the T Jet, I don't think so, atleast not for me. I recall the day the 90 horses engine was announced on the Punto and I drove one. The turbo lag was so bad, it made me think that Fiat were ripping us off with that 90 badge at the back. The engine started to come alive only around 2500rpm. It was annoying cause each time you shifted gear, you are out of power, you had to wait for the revs to build, the turbo to catch up. The T Jet responds much better even when you are in the lag zone. Once you are past the lag, there is no comparison.

12 lac may sound like a lot to most folks but its not. It is a lac over the Linea T Jet and I feel that the money spent is totally worth it. We have never had it this good when it comes to a hot hatch. The Abarth is a stand out car for me.

Originally Posted by Samba

So from the pics its evident that the ride height of the car is quite high. Its just 155mm in the paper just like the new scorpio is rated at 165mm ground clearance.

155mm is from what point of the car? Ideally; the lowest contact point of the body. Now this could be the bumper, sump guard or something else.

I drive a 2011 Linea and I need to be careful. The area with the most impact for my car is the front bumper over hang and the sump guard, not anywhere within the wheel base.

[nitninja]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Seriously nkrishnap?? 2 months for an Abarth Punto delivery?

I was told by SE at FIAT Cafe (Domlur), that the waiting period is under 3 weeks for sure, irrespective of the color. Also, FIAT were planning to introduce the 'Matte Grey' version sometime during the festive season.

I had not driven the Abarth Punto, though had accompanied my cousin during his TD. So I did try this Scorpion last Saturday and came off a bit disappointed.

I don't want to get into the usual shortcomings and areas of improvements but I personally felt that 90HP Punto MJD is a better buy

Why:

- You pay ~2 lakhs only for that Engine & All round Disc Brakes !! I am not saying its not worth it, I feel probably its overpriced. In fact, I felt a better surge from the Linea Tjet when the Turbo spools than this Abarth (could be an issue with the TD Car?)

- MJD is a proven engine and its FE can 'Sting' any Abarth fatally.

- I felt the turbo lag on these 2 engines were almost similar and daily use is more rewarding in a MJD (FE).

- Remap the MJD, lower the springs and swap some good set of tires. You have best of both worlds, FE & Performance.

- Its really weird and probably was only pertaining to the test car, but the fit and finish on the Abarth was nothing better than the 2012 90HP Punto owned by my friend.

From your post i infer you hadn't driven the scorpion as it should have been.im really surprised that you felt linea better, i for one took really long test drives on both linea t jet and abarth.Linea t jet felt fast but abarth is a bullet.In abarth first and second gear produces heavy wheel spins when the accelerator is floored which under similar driving in linea does not produce any or maybe i didnt notice it.Just for the comparison we did a drag between verna petrol and abarth, obviously abarth took the lead with 2 cars length. This car gives 14 on highways which is more than sufficient for the performance it offers.After remapping the mjd, will it be able to produce 145 bhp without any strain on the long run ? I definitely dont think so.